Maria Garcia, born and raised in the Yucatec Maya Village of San Antonio in the Cayo District of Belize is the niece, student, and heir of some of the work of the late Don Elijio Panti. Prior to his passing in 1996, Don Panti was renowned in Belize and in the world of herbal medicine as one of the best Maya herbalist and spiritual leaders around.Having apprenticed with Don Elijio, Maria took her commitment to traditional healing, sustainable farming, art, and conservation very seriously. In her back yard, you will find a good variety of medicinal plants as well as local crops that make up much of her diet and which has been passed on from generation to generation.
Realizing the importance the rainforest played in her practice and passion, she helped establish the Nooj Kaax Meen Elijio Panti National Park. Designated a National Protected Area in 2001, the 1,306 acres of pristine sacred rainforest that make up the park is home to hundreds of wildlife and plant species as well as sacred caves, temples, and waterfalls.
As the founder of the Itzamna Society, a non-profit and community-based organization, Maria shares with her community the importance of the conservation and sound management of natural resources, cultural patrimony (Yucatec Maya Dialect & traditional healing) and community development. She spends a lot of time in the village reminding people of the importance of preserving their native language which is known to them as Maya Ta’an. It is their mother tongue, surviving from their ancient Mayan ancestors. Its people are also renowned for their traditional abdominal massages, chiro-practice, and midwifery. It is a place where planting and harvesting are sacred, where prayer and thanksgiving have a great purpose, and where life is rich and whole.
Maria shared with us that people travel from all over the world to be treated by the herbal remedies of the rainforest and the traditional practices of the Tanah villagers. The knowledge of how to use hundreds of varieties of medicinal plants, prayers and secret stones known as "Sastuns" has been passed down from their ancestors.
According to Maria, she can’t stress enough the importance plants have to the way of life in her village. For example, the cohune palm nuts are used for jewelry or to extract oil for cooking. The young shoots when boiled or fried make a delicious snack. The roots can be used for a blood tonic.
In her back yard, a vine grows which quenches a day's thirst. Some of these very same plants provide the villagers with definite cures for asthma, arthritis, baldness, among others. It is through communion with nature, preservation of traditions, and a holistic lifestyle that the Maya herbal remedies, teas and spirituality can be shared.
Besides being well known for their cultural preservation efforts, Maria also discovered "art" after she and her sisters began carving slate years ago. She came to realize that something moved from within the depth of her soul which expressed itself through incredible energy and vision into action.
Designated as Prominent Artists by the official judges at Riverfest '95, Maria and her sisters are accomplished Yucatecan Maya artists. Their worldwide art gallery exhibits have been on display in England, Germany, Japan, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Dominica, and Belize's Bliss Institute.
Given her many accomplishments and unfaltering determination, we asked Maria what has kept her going all these years. According to her, when they decided to start carving slate, her father asked her, "Are you going to eat stone? Who is going to buy stone? People buy food, not stone." She shared that for the first few years he would not help his daughters as they pursued their new found passion. Still, they toiled over the stone for it was also their father who taught them, "When I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."
And Maria is still doing it all!
Author: Misael Canto, ASK & Belize Consultant, C.E.L.A. Belize
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